Rescue efforts are under way to rescue a decommissioned World War II-era naval ship that was partially submerged in New York City.
The historic USS The Sullivans took water and partially sank in the Naval and Military Park of Buffalo and Erie County, according to the US Coast Guard.
Officials said the 78-year-old ship crashed near the center of the ship when its starboard side leaned into Lake Erie on Thursday.
The U.S. Coast Guard says more than 3 million gallons of water have flooded the historic ship.
“This ship will rise again,” said Navy and Military Park President Paul Marzelo, according to Buffalo News. “Failure is not an option.”
The governor of New York and Buffalo native Katie Hochul said emergency services were ready to save the “symbol of perseverance” that has served as a 1977 museum ship.
“USS The Sullivans is a tribute to our heroes – a family that lost all five sons in the Pacific and 400,000 Americans killed in World War II,” Hochul said. “Our government agencies are on site and ready to help revive this treasure and a symbol of perseverance.”
The U.S. Coast Guard estimates that the ship consumed approximately 3 million gallons of water. Getty Images USS The Sullivans (DD-537) is a Navy ship named after five brothers and was decommissioned in 1965. Getty Images
The Coast Guard says there has been positive progress in the dewatering process on Thursday night. Rescuers used pumps capable of removing more than 13,000 gallons of water per minute to minimize further sinking.
According to SaveTheSullivans.org, a website dedicated to fundraising efforts to restore the ship, USS The Sullivans suffered in the “harsh” times of Buffalo and was at risk of sinking.
Last year, Marzelo told The Buffalo News that the attraction would sink if no repairs were made. Buffalo and Erie County Naval and Military Park raised $ 1 million to repair the ship in November.
The USS The Sullivans is classified as a Fletcher class destroyer, named after five brothers – George, Frank, Joe, Matt and Al Sullivan. The quintet was killed in action after a torpedo hit the USS Juneau in 1942.
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